Cowboy style pics.

This is a discussion on Cowboy style pics. within the General Firearm Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; My dad has always wanted a cowboy style rifle. So let me see some pics of any you guys might have. I want to get ...

Cowboy style pics.

My dad has always wanted a cowboy style rifle. So let me see some pics of any you guys might have. I want to get some ideas. I'd probably go for a caliber they would really use back then, like a 45 or 44, but lets just see all the pics. Thanks

My dad has always wanted a cowboy style rifle. So let me see some pics of any you guys might have. I want to get some ideas. I'd probably go for a caliber they would really use back then, like a 45 or 44, but lets just see all the pics. Thanks

If you want a rifle that would be authentic, forget the 45. While modern replicas are available in 45, the originals were never chambered as such. The main reason was that the straight wall 45 would not properly seal the chamber with the black powder cartridges allowing too much fouling into the mechanism of the rifle. If you want an authentic chambering in a pistol caliber rifle, your basically looking at 32-20, 38-40 & 44-40. The predominant models that would have been available at that time would be the:

Winchester/Henry (as an original, this was only available in 44 rimfire.Winchester 1866 (as an original, available in 44 rimfire or 44-40)Winchester 1873 (as an original, available in 32-20, 38-40 & 44-40)Winchester 1892 (as an original, available in 218 Bee, 25-20, 32-20, 38-40 & 44-40)Marlin 1894 (as an original, available in 25-20, 32-20, 38-40 & 44-40 but Marlin no longer offers this rifle in authentic calibers. Only calibers available on new rifles are 45 Colt, 357 Mag./38 Spl. and 44 Mag./44 Spl.)

Though they were not pistol calibers, other rifles also used were the Winchester model 1886 in 38-55, 45-70, 45-90. The Winchester model 1894 in 30-30, 25-35. I am sure that there wother other calibers of the time not mentioned yet as well.

Though they were not pistol calibers, other rifles also used were the Winchester model 1886 in 38-55, 45-70, 45-90. The Winchester model 1894 in 30-30, 25-35. I am sure that there wother other calibers of the time not mentioned yet as well.

Since he mentioned 44 or 45 in his OP, I figured he was looking at pistol calibers. Now, if you talk about rifle calibers, I'd point you to the current "drooling" item on my wish list, the Winchester 1876 Centennial in 45/60.

The Henry is a cool rifle. Just make sure you read up on it's eccentricities before you load it up for the first time. Their have been reported incidents of a Henry chain firing the rounds in the magazine if the follower is allowed to drop unrestrained.

Follower? Drop? I wouln't be exagerating if I said I didn't know what a follwer is.

The 1860 Henry doesn't have a loading gate. It loads much like modern tubular magazine 22LR rifles except that no tube slides out. Instead, you grasp the follower and pull it to the top of the gun and then twist it to lock into the loading position. After loading, you twist it back and slowly lower the follower. If you shoot a Henry with your support hand holding onto the magazine tube, you have to learn the "Henry Shuffle". As you fire the gun, the follower moves from the barrel end to towards the receiver. With your support hand holding the magazine tube, the follower will eventually contact your hand and you kind of have to toss the gun upward while releasing your support hand grip and move your hand to the other side of the follower so that firing can be continued. Here's a link to loading a Henry rifle.

Winchester/Henry (as an original, this was only available in 44 rimfire.Winchester 1866 (as an original, available in 44 rimfire or 44-40)Winchester 1873 (as an original, available in 32-20, 38-40 & 44-40)Winchester 1892 (as an original, available in 218 Bee, 25-20, 32-20, 38-40 & 44-40)Marlin 1894 (as an original, available in 25-20, 32-20, 38-40 & 44-40 but Marlin no longer offers this rifle in authentic calibers. Only calibers available on new rifles are 45 Colt, 357 Mag./38 Spl. and 44 Mag./44 Spl.)

I suppose those are authentic replicas. Bit out of my price range, but when I looked up henry rifles I found the new products. I think I'm going to go with this. http://www.henryrepeating.com/h006_bigboy.cfm
It has the pedigree of being a Henry but is affordable. I think I'll go with the 45. Thanks everyone for all the help.

Originally Posted by cvhoss

The Henry is a cool rifle. Just make sure you read up on it's eccentricities before you load it up for the first time. Their have been reported incidents of a Henry chain firing the rounds in the magazine if the follower is allowed to drop unrestrained.

I suppose those are authentic replicas. Bit out of my price range, but when I looked up henry rifles I found the new products. I think I'm going to go with this. Henry Repeating Arms Rifles
It has the pedigree of being a Henry but is affordable. I think I'll go with the 45. Thanks everyone for all the help.

Does this new Henry have the chain firing and follower issue also?

To answer your question, no the Big Boy does not have the follower issues. To expand on that, the reason it doesn't is that, other than being a lever action rifle, the Big Boy bears little resemblance to any of the historic lever guns. The Big Boy is a recent invention and while I believe the current Henry Repeating Arms Co. is a fine company, the Big Boy has been slow to gain acceptance in the CAS market as it is not a replica of anything historic. It actually took some time for SASS to give approval to it as an acceptable firearm to use in SASS sanctioned matches. If you're going to go with a non-authentic caliber, I would suggest you take a hard look at the Marlin 1894 Cowboy. First off, it is a firearm that has historical significance in that it's basic design has been around since 1894. It also has the benefit of having one of the shortest lever throws of any lever action rifle making it very fast to shoot (this makes it a favorite among CAS participants). It also is a very slick firearm and has a reputation for being very reliable. I also believe that you could purchase one for a bit less, though not much, than a Big Boy.